Recently, Mayor Cr Fiona Stitfold met with Minister for Police, Anthony Carbines, and local Federal MP Zoe Daniel to address rising community safety concerns in Bayside.
Key points discussed:
- Increase in aggravated burglaries in Bayside and other communities in Melbourne.
- Crime and community safety are now the top priority for the next four years raised by our community through our Annual Community Satisfaction survey.
- Victoria Police response to the aggravated burglary/car theft problem through Operation Trinity, which has additional police resources to deal with offenders. This includes additional patrols and police presence.
- Plans for Victoria Police bicycle patrols this summer, alongside an increase in local police numbers.
Bayside is generally a safe community, but we're committed to addressing these concerns.
The Minister assured us of continued collaboration with Victoria Police to improve community safety, as well as looking at the way the local community is being engaged in discussions about this issue.
Background information
There has been a sharp increase in aggravated burglaries across Melbourne in the past few years.
This has been driven by child and youth offenders sneaking into homes, taking keys and stealing cars. Homes with luxury vehicles are key targets due to the prestige associated with these vehicles.
Half of all aggravated burglaries in the Glen Eira-Bayside area this year were either through unlocked doors or windows.
An aggravated burglary occurs when the occupant of a property is home when the intruder enters. However, confrontation during aggravated burglaries is very rare, with 95% of aggravated burglaries involving no form of confrontation whatsoever.
Offenders are most commonly sneaking in during the early hours of the morning when people are sleeping to reduce the chance of confrontation.
How are police addressing the issue?
Through Operation Trinity, Victoria Police has been specifically targeting burglars and car thieves with additional nightly patrols across Melbourne since March 2023.
As a result of this intense focus, police have made over 1,400 arrests relating to burglaries and car thefts in the past twelve months - almost four arrests per day.
The Glen Eira-Bayside Crime Reduction Team is also actively targeting high-risk offenders through bail compliance checks, patrols of locations where the person frequents and has offended previously, and referrals to support services to stop them from offending.
What can I do to keep myself safe?
- Lock all doors and windows (including internal garage doors) as this dramatically reduces the chance of a burglary occurring.
- Keep car keys and valuables out of sight of windows.
- If confronted, get to safety and call Triple Zero (000). Property can be replaced, however your life or the life of your loved ones cannot. Police are out in significant numbers as part of Operation Trinity, so will respond quickly.
For emergencies, to report a crime in progress, or for immediate police attendance, call Triple Zero (000).
For non-emergencies, call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 or lodge an online report.
